MSI GUNGNIR 100 Mid-Tower PC Case Review




/ 4 years ago

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MSI GUNGNIR 100 Mid-Tower PC Case Review

When you name your PC case GUNGNIR, a name originally given to the spear of Odin, it has to be pretty damn cool. MSI is taking a big risk with such a kick-ass name, as it really has a lot to live up to in that regard. Fortunately, it seems like they DO have a pretty cool PC case here. The GUNGNIR comes equipped with a wide range of features. Addressable RGB lighting with 8-port ARGB hub, support for customisable 3D printed parts, tempered glass, and much more. If that’s not enough, it’ll support up to an E-ATX motherboard, up to a 420mm radiator, and it even comes with four fans pre-installed too. It seems then, that it has a little bit of everything for the modern PC gaming enthusiast.

MSI GUNGNIR 100

The GUNGNIR 100 is a mid-tower case, so despite its rather impressive features and hardware support, it’s not actually that massive. It measures 510(D) x 227(W) x 525(H) mm, so fitting such big radiators is impressive. Then you have massive GPU clearance, room for a large air cooler, plenty of storage, etc. It also comes with a built-in PSU shroud, as well as some cool cable management ideas, but hey, let’s get those in a few moments!

Features

  • MSI MPG GUNGNIR 100 chassis can support up to EATX motherboard, 3D-PRINTING customized parts, side panel of 4mm tempered glass, 120 mm ARGB fan, 1 to 8 ARGB LED hub, reserved cooling space and front USB 3.1 Gen 1
  • ARGB Fan included
  • 4mm Tempered Glasses
  • 3D-Printing Customization
  • 1 to 8 ARGB LED HUB
  • Mystic Light
MSI GUNGNIR 100 Mid-Tower PC Case Review

Specifications

For in-depth specifications, please visit the official MSI GUNGNIR 100 product page here.

MSI GUNGNIR 100 Mid-Tower PC Case Review

What MSI Had to Say

“Personalize your gaming rig with the MPG GUNGNIR 100 cases. Make it yours by 3D printing your name or logo, and show your colours with addressable RGB lighting. Show all your components with the tempered glass side panel, and create perfect harmony with MSI Mystic Light Sync.” – MSI

Product Trailer

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Exterior

The GUNGNIR looks a lot like many other PC cases these days, however, that’s no bad thing. Blacked out panels, and a huge slab of tempered glass down the side is the “in” look these days. The glass is heavily tinted too, so it hides pretty much everything inside. However, I suspect highlights and LED lighting will show through easily enough.

The top panel is closed up pretty tight and given a lightly textured finish. I think it looks fantastic. Plus, it means I can put things on top of the case, as I so often do; headphones, my phone, loose change, etc.

Don’t worry though, it still has ventilation, thanks to a bank of air intakes/exhausts along both sides.

I/O

The front I/O panel features a few USB 3.0 ports and audio jacks, pretty standard stuff really. There’s a massive power button too, but again, it’s all pretty straight forward and practical; nothing wrong with that obviously.

The front panel has that same lightly textured finish you see on the top panel. However, it’s a lot more angular, with a sort of roof-top shape going down it. Much like the top panel, the airflow is indirect and comes from ventilation on the edges of the panel. One good thing about this is that it can help reduce fan noise quite a lot.

The fit and finish are nice though, with no major panel gaps to be found. The glass sits flush into the side too, rather than being bolted on to the outer frame, which is something I see on cheaper cases a lot. Of course, it’s clearly not an issue here.

Right side

This side of the case is a little less fancy looking, but it certainly gets the job done. It’s a thick all-metal panel held in place with two thumbscrews. Honestly, I am fine with this, and I’m glad they didn’t go for dual tempered glass.

Around the Back

It’s business as usual back here too. There’s a good amount of passive ventilation up in the top, which is good. Plus, you get a 120/140mm fan mount at the rear, with a pre-installed 120mm exhaust fan.

It’s ATX compatible, so as you would expect, you get seven expansion slots. Happily, they’re all fitted with reusable metal covers, not that cheap snap-off ones.

And finally, the PSU mount in the bottom, which supports a wide range of ATX units.

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Interior

The space inside the GUNGNIR is impressive, and its ultra-clean layout is certainly appealing to me. There’s a huge cut-out behind the motherboard, allowing for easy CPU cooler mounting. Plus there are huge rubber grommets above, to the side, and below the motherboard, which is obviously superb.

PSU Shroud

I love a good PSU shroud, and I’m not left short here. there are two SSD mounts right upfront so you can show off your favourite drives. Plus, two cable grommets behind that for routing cables to the motherboard. You’ll notice a cut-away towards the front too, which gives clearance for any front-mounted radiators.

You’re hardly short on airflow here though. As you can see, there are three lovely 120mm fans mounted in the front panel. What’s neat is that they’re on the other side of the bracket, freeing up space on the interior of the case. Of course, you simply remove the front panel to access them.

The fourth fan is the one in the rear, which has frosty blades to catch all that glorious RGB lighting it contains. We’ll see that in action shortly though.

Behind the Motherboard

The ultra-clean design continues even behind the motherboard. You won’t see this section when the system is built, but that doesn’t mean it can’t look fantastic too.

There’s a huge cable routing guard running down the middle. It is removable too should you need it out of the way, and there are Velcro straps under there too for double security. Then even cooler than that, two more SSD brackets on the left!

SSD and HDD are covered below the shroud too. There are a couple of 3.5″ drive trays down here should you need them. You can remove the bay completely too should you want this space for a pump, or some enormously long PSU, it’s up to you. There’s a Velcro strap down there too, helping you keep any loose cables in check.

RGB OMG

Tucked up in the top, you’ll find a pre-wired RGB control hub. All the fans and case lights are already configured, you’ll just need to connect SATA power and a USB header for control.

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Complete System

Building a system inside this case was an absolute breeze. There is simply loads of space on the interior and even our RTX 2080 Ti barely filled the length of it.

The cable routing is pretty fantastic, especially since there are loads of cable routing grommets. It’s a shame that there isn’t a vertical pass-through to the GPU, but it’s hardly a deal-breaker. There is plenty of space here for a multi-GPU setup too, if you fancy it.

Cooling

There’s certainly no issue with cooling support here. We already know the case can handle some massive radiators. There’s loads of clearance to fit a bit radiator in the top, and on the full height of the front panel too. However, I love my air coolers, and the massive Noctua NH-D15S fits with room to spare.

Plus, with the 120mm exhaust fan, you can shift heat easily enough. The mount even supports a 140mm fan if you desire, or a radiator/AIO.

Grommets

The cable routing is pretty tight on the right side too. Plus, the grommets are angled ever so slightly towards the motherboard, making it easy to get the cable angles.

Clearance

Seriously, this is a pretty big case for a mid-tower. However, it certainly doesn’t look or feel oversized at all. The use of space in the front panel to hide the fans is really clever, albeit not an original idea. It also frees up even more space for the radiator on the case interior.

Of course, the biggest benefit is the huge wall of air coming through the case, which will ensure your hardware stays nice and cool.

RGB Swagger

The RGB hub is hooked up to the rear fan, the top of the front panel, and this slick under lighting. It’s all addressable and can be paired up to your motherboard. However, if you don’t have ARGB on your motherboard, you can use the RGB control button on the front of the case.

Plus, with it all synced up, you can get cool effects, and have all the lights match. Or have them unmatched, if that’s what you really want. Yes, you can also turn them off too.

Tempered Glass

With all the panels back in place and my cup of tea at the ready, I can enjoy the GUNGNIR in all its glory.

The tempered glass is quite heavily tinted, but as I said before, It will let the RGB shine through rather nicely. I love it!

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How Much Does it Cost?

The MSI GUNGNIR 100 Mid-Tower PC case has a lot of premium features. Plus, it comes from the very highly regarded MSI, so you would expect it to cost around £120 right? Well, that’s what I would have guessed. You get an ARGB hub, tempered glass, four pre-installed fans and more. However, you get all this for the low-low price of £88.92. That’s a bargain as far as I’m concerned. You can check for US stock and prices here.

Overview

MSI has knocked it out of the park with the GUNGNIR 100. It’s a good size case that can easily handle pretty much any high-end gaming PC configuration. The biggest graphics cards, massive radiators, huge air coolers, and plenty of storage drives. Not only that, but it’ll do it all with room to spare too.

Build Quality

The case is pretty robust, the internal structure is plenty robust. Of course, with the impressive water cooling support, it needs to be able to handle the weight. The front panel and top panel are plastic, which is likely where they’ve trimmed down the price a bit. However, the fit and finish looks fantastic, and they’ll get no complaints from me there.

Of course, you also get four high-quality fans pre-installed. All of it is dust filtered and provides plenty of airflow right out of the box. With the inclusion of plenty of built-in ARGB lighting on the front panel, as well as from the rear fan, your lighting game is going to be strong too.

Added Value

Not that I haven’t listed a lot of features already that add value. However, it’s the little details that I like. The extensive amount of quality rubber grommets for the cable routing are certainly welcome. Plus, you get that metal cable routing cover behind the motherboard, as well as Velcro straps. There are four removable SSD mounts, as well as a fully removable 3.5″ drive tray. Then you have a massive PSU shroud that keeps the build looking clean, four pre-installed fans, and a massive tempered glass side panel.

Should I Buy One?

Honestly, it’s one of the best deals on a high-end mid-tower PC case right now. You get plenty of change from £100 and loads of cool features that are sure to appeal to most PC gaming enthusiasts. Sure, it’s a bit flashy for the office, but for a kick-ass gaming PC, it’s perfectly in tune with market trends.

MSI GUNGNIR 100 Mid-Tower PC Case Review
MSI GUNGNIR 100 Mid-Tower PC Case Review

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